


You Know My Name

by kiyala



Category: Show By Rock!! - All Media Types
Genre: Amatelast Era, Demon Deals, Loss of Control, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 17:33:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19114450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: Shuu makes a deal with a demon: seven years of his life, in exchange for becoming so famous that everyone knows his name.It doesn't go according to plan. Deals with demons never do.





	You Know My Name

It was difficult to look a demon in the eye when it didn't have any. The creature in front of Shuu was nothing more than a suggestion of shadows and danger, its edges blurred and its shape constantly shifting into things Shuu's mind simply refused to comprehend. Everything about it made Shuu want to avert his gaze entirely, but he refused to let himself look anywhere else than straight ahead. 

The demon was why he was here, with blood still smeared across his hand from the fresh cut he'd made, and the summoning circle still glowing on the floor. He was here, in an old and abandoned music hall because this was what he wanted. Summoning a demon was about intent and ambition. The summoning circle, the blood, everything else was simply for show. Shuu understood that. After all, theatrics were an important part of almost everything he did and this was perhaps the most important thing that he would ever do.

Now that the demon was here, Shuu didn't know how to greet it. He didn't know its name, or what it was truly capable of beyond giving him the one thing he wanted the most. He opened his mouth to speak, only to shut it again, and heard a laugh. It felt like it was echoing through his mind and stranger still, it had his voice.

**_(If all you wanted to was to gawk at a demon, you should have gone to Yokai Street.)_ **

Shuu blinked in surprise, then shook his head. "Oh. No, that's not why I'm here." 

The demon laughed again, Shuu's voice but much more sinister. The smoky shape coiled around him, bitterly cold wherever it brushed against him.

**_(I know exactly why you're here, but I won't give you a thing unless you ask for it.)_ **

Shuu hesitated for a moment. Everything he knew about demons told him that he needed to be careful when making deals with one. There could be no ambiguity in what he asked for, or he would come to regret it. He'd rehearsed this so many times already but the fear of misstepping made him pause.

The demon waited without saying a word, but Shuu could sense a pressure against his mind that he could only describe as impatience. 

"I want to be a successful musician," Shuu said at length. "I want my band to be a household name. I want to be so popular that it would be unusual if people haven't heard of me."

**_(Hmm. Come here. Let me have a look at you.)_ **

Suddenly, the demon was in his mind, rifling through his thoughts and memories like they were nothing more than photographs in a stack. Shuu felt exposed, and there was nothing he could do but bear with it until the demon found what it was looking for.

**_(You have a band. You know the rules, but you still didn't specify that you want this band to be famous.)_ **

Shuu smiled tightly. "Sacrifices are necessary, if you want to achieve your dreams. If I wasn't prepared for that, I wouldn't be here."

The demon laughed again. Shuu knew his own voice well enough to detect the approval in it. 

**_(You're being realistic. You know what you're getting yourself into. I can give you what you want, for a simple price.)_ **

"I have a feeling it won't be as simple as you say. Name your price."

**_(Seven years of your life. Seven years and by the time you return to yourself, you will have exactly what you have asked for. Do we have a deal?)_ **

It didn't sound half as complicated as Shuu was expecting. He was expecting to have to sacrifice something he held dear. The demon had already been in his mind, surely it knew what he had, what he was still struggling with having to lose. 

"There's a catch," Shuu said with a frown. There had to be. There was no possible way that something would be this easy. 

**_(I'll give you seven days to search for it. Seven days, to prepare for seven years. Then I will find you, so you can decide whether you will accept what I am offering. Now leave.)_ **

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

When Shuu opened his eyes, he was standing in front of the door to his apartment with the late afternoon sun filtering in through the window. He frowned, disoriented for a moment, with nothing but a light scar on his hand to indicate that he'd just been in an old building halfway across town. He took a deep breath and pulled himself together.

He had seven days. That was seven more days than he was expecting and he didn't know whether it was a good thing. He hadn't known what to expect when making a deal with a demon, but he tried to tie up as many loose ends as he could. Now, he just had to make sure they didn't unravel in the next week. 

Just as he was about to open the door to the apartment, it swung open from the inside. Shuu froze up with surprise, coming face to face with his roommate. 

"Rom," he said softly. "Were you studying?"

Adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses, Rom grinned bashfully. "Actually, I was just about to head out and look for you. I tried calling, but it kept going straight to voicemail. I told you, if you forgot your charger at the studio, you could just use mine."

"I forgot," Shuu laughed, trying to ignore the way his heart was racing. Rom kept his charger by his bedside table and using it would mean going into his room. Shuu hadn't dared the night before. They were roommates now, and high school friends before that and most of the time, their interactions felt effortless. The rest of the time, Shuu couldn't even be in the same room as Rom without feeling that his heart would burst right out of his chest. 

"We've got some time before band practice, right?" Rom asked, grabbing Shuu by the wrist and tugging him into the apartment. "I'll cook us something. Sit down."

Leaning against the kitchen counter, Shuu watched Rom busy himself by the stove. It was soothing, watching Rom like this. Even when it made his heart race, Shuu knew he'd rather be with Rom than without him. He was glad the demon hadn't asked for Rom as the price for what he wanted. Shuu was willing to sacrifice most things, including his soul. Rom wasn't one of them.

"Here." Rom placed a bowl of food in front of Shuu. "Eat up. Last time, practice ended up going so late that you were shaky by the time we actually got to eat any food."

"You worry too much." Shuu shook his head. "I'll be fine."

"Of course you will," Rom replied, ruffling Shuu's hair. "You've got me to take care of you, right? Honestly, I don't even know what you'd do without me."

Shuu glanced up from where Rom's hand was still resting on his head. "…Yeah. Neither do I."

Rom stroked his fingers through Shuu's hair one more time before finally letting go. "We should hurry up and eat, or we'll be late for real." 

Amatelast was a band they'd formed back in highschool, along with two other friends. It wasn't anywhere near as popular as Shuu wanted it to be, not even after four years, but their guitarist had an uncle in the music industry who organised some studio space for them to practice and record music. They were currently working on their next album, but Shuu couldn't shake the fact that they were stagnating. Nothing felt ambitious enough. They weren't pushing themselves and Shuu's worst fear was languishing in mediocrity when he knew that he could do better.

With a sigh, he glanced down at his palm. The clean line he'd cut in his skin as part of the summoning ritual was so faint that Shuu could only see it because he was looking for it. He had a week. After that, he would hand over seven years of his life in exchange for what he wanted. 

It was frustrating, heading to practice with Rom and knowing that they weren't going to get anywhere this time either, but it helped to know that he was going to fix that soon enough. 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"You remembered to take your phone charger with you this time, right?" Adam asked, when the four of them crowded into an izakaya after practice. He waved his glass of beer in Rom's direction. "This guy gets antsy when he can't get in contact with you. He called me and Eve to ask if we'd seen you. Twice. Each." 

"Shut up," Rom muttered against the rim of his glass, his ears going pink. 

Adam laughed, leaning back against Eve. "Honestly, he was so frantic. Like you don't get lost in whatever you're doing and forget to charge or answer your phone on a regular basis." 

"Shut up," Rom repeated, louder this time. "Besides, I usually know where he is."

"I don't think you're helping your case," Eve replied gently. 

Shuu laughed, resting his shoulder against Rom's. "He just doesn't know what to do unless he's taking care of someone." 

"I'm lucky I have you, then." Rom's voice was low, meant for Shuu and no one else. There was an earnest look in his eyes that made Shuu want to lean into him even more until they were pressed right up against each other, even with Adam and Eve sitting across the table to them. 

Sucking in a deep breath, Shuu resisted the urge and pulled back, punching Rom lightly in the shoulder instead.

"Are you calling me high maintenance? Is that meant to be a compliment?" 

Rom laughed it off, rubbing his arm, but there was a look in his eyes that stuck at the back of Shuu's mind for the rest of the night. Rom had worn it so many times before and Shuu knew what it was. He knew that if he allowed it, Rom would close that gap between them himself. He could recognise the longing in Rom's eyes, the way he reached for Shuu before pulling his hand back just before making contact. He hadn't known what to do about it before but now, he knew that it was better not to do anything at all. Not when he was this close to giving a demon seven years of his life. This was the one loose end that Shuu couldn't afford to have unravel and he swore to himself that he would be careful about it. 

He sighed as he leaned back in his seat, touching his shoulder to Rom's once again. He didn't think it would be this difficult. 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Shuu wasn't prepared for just how quickly the week passed. No matter how much Shuu intended to put some distance between himself and Rom, he found that he couldn't stay away. All he wanted was to be near Rom, no matter what they were doing together, whether it was arguing over a point as they studied together, or napping side by side under the kotatsu in their living room. If this was the last time he was going to experience being by Rom's side for the next seven years, he wanted to savour it as much as he could.

As much as Shuu didn't want to spend his days counting down until he had none left, he couldn't help it. He found himself collecting experiences and cataloguing his lasts.

His last practice session with his band, where they were all talking excitedly about an upcoming battle of the bands. Shuu couldn't bring himself to care about how it would go, when he knew that the result wouldn't matter anyway. 

His last time cooking with Rom, sides bumping together as the fought over the cooking chopsticks. Rom always wanted to add more spice than Shuu was happy to eat. Shuu always wanted to add more oil. It was the small things he would miss the most, he realised as Rom wrestled him away from the bottle of oil, his hair and clothes tousled, his grin infectious. 

"You," Shuu laughed breathlessly, beyond the lump in his throat. 

"Me?" Rom asked, his hands settling on Shuu's sides. He stroked his thumbs along Shuu's waist and the look in his eyes said that he caught the way it made Shuu shiver.

"Yeah, you." Shuu wanted to kiss him. In this moment, he wanted to throw all of his plans away just so he could have this. So he could have Rom. 

He took another deep breath. It wouldn't be fair for either of them. Shuu would be happy now, but it wouldn't last and then would come the resentment that Rom didn't deserve. He couldn't do that. Just like he couldn't do this.

Shuu smiled brightly and leaned closer. "You're gonna burn dinner."

"Fuck," Rom gasped, turning back to the stove. Shuu stepped back and let the moment shatter. 

Their last almost-kiss. It wasn't their first. Shuu had long since stopped counting how many times the moment found them, only for them to let it pass them by. 

This was their last night, and Shuu just couldn't bring himself to look away from Rom. Not while Rom explained the difficult part of their accounting lecture earlier that day, and not when the late hour and steady warmth of their kotatsu slowly lulled them to sleep. 

Shuu blinked from where he was lying on the floor, him and Rom both facing each other. Rom was already asleep, his breaths deep and even. He didn't stir as Shuu's fingers stroked through his hair. Shuu smiled at him fondly, feeling his heart break all over again for what he had to leave behind. 

"I love you," he whispered into Rom's hair before kissing it. "I'll miss you." 

Rom didn't respond, not even to shift in his sleep. Shuu stayed where he was for a moment longer, and it was how the demon found him as it filtered through the gap under the door, gathering itself into the same shifting and ominous shape that Shuu remembered seeing for the first time last week.

**_(I see you've made your choice, then. Considering you're saying your goodbyes.)_ **

Shuu sighed, letting go of Rom and sitting up. He didn't want the demon seeing how much Rom meant to him, even though he knew it was already too late. "I'm doing what I have to."

**_(Hold onto that feeling. You'll need it. Stand up.)_ **

Shuu did as he was told, standing in the middle of the room. The demon stood in front of him—actually stood, as it was mimicking his silhouette. Its shape was stable now, and Shuu could recognise the legs, the arms, the tail, the ears. 

**_(Have you thought about this?)_ **

Shuu hadn't found a catch in his deal. That didn't necessarily mean that there wasn't one, but he'd been distracted all week, focusing on Rom instead. Besides, he summoned the demon thinking that the deal was already out of his hands. There was no point in backing down now, when he was so close to getting what he wanted. 

"I've thought enough. How do we make the deal?"

**_(It's easy. Just like this.)_ **

Before Shuu could comprehend what was happening, he felt pain lancing through his chest. He looked down, seeing the demon had pushed its hand into his chest. 

"What—" he began, but then he couldn't speak any more. 

This felt similar to when the demon had looked through his mind except this time, it didn't just feel like the demon was in his head. It was everywhere and Shuu felt like he was about to burst. He grunted with discomfort, but the noise never actually left his mouth. 

He couldn't make a sound. 

Then, slowly, he realised he couldn't feel anything either. It was like he was behind a thick glass wall. He could still see everything out of his own eyes, he could hear just fine, but he couldn't taste anything, he couldn't smell anything, and he couldn't feel anything. 

He didn't know what was happening.

**_(Calm down. This is your part of the deal.)_ **

Shuu didn't understand. _I gave you seven years._

**_(And I'm taking them. You didn't think it would be that easy, did you? Did you expect to shut your eyes and open them seven years later? No. You've asked for a lot and you're going to hurt people with your choices. You get to watch it all happen.)_ **

This wasn't what Shuu wanted at all, but the demon knew that already. He could tell that the demon was smiling, could feel the smugness pouring right through him. 

**_(Now. Who is this?)_ **

No one, Shuu wanted to say, but the demon was in his mind and he knew he'd already given himself away. The last time, it felt as if the demon was going through a stack of photographs. Now, Shuu felt as if his memories were all catalogued on the shelves of a library and the demon knew exactly what it was looking for. If it wanted, it could find every thought, every emotion Shuu had ever experienced for Rom. 

"Oh," the demon said aloud with Shuu's voice, settling back under the kotatsu and snuggling against Rom. Shuu was helpless to watch; he couldn't feel the warmth of the kotatsu, or from Rom's body. He could do nothing to stop the way the demon stroked a thumb across Rom's cheek. "We're going to have fun, aren't we?"

**Author's Note:**

> This is my 666th fic on AO3 so of course: I had to post a demon fic posted on 6/6, which is also Rom's birthday. 
> 
> The second part will be coming in the next couple of days.


End file.
